Good grief, we need a JFK or FDR

[brentspeak]

Someone with the kind of undeniable charisma that even evangelical Republicans would find themselves forced to consider. If the Constitution is changed and Arnie is allowed to run for president, we might as well cancel the elections. Why? Because it's Arnie.

Is there no possible future Democratic candidate comparable to Arnie? Who out there could be that JFK for the Democratic party? (Please don't say Hillary!)

[Julien Sorel]

1. If we sit on our asses waiting for a savior, we go nowhere.

Look at Bush. He's a fucking LOSER -- a drunk, a guy who skipped out on his NG service, a dope head, a guy with DUI arrests, a moron -- he's a LOSER. But the right situation came along, and he's in the White House.

FDR? He got lucky. The Depression came along, and he seized the moment. JFK? He cheated his way into office. He beat Nixon by .2% of the popular vote, and there was ample evidence of vote fraud on his behalf.


We can't create or wait for the right circumstances or the right candidate. We have to do what we can to create the right circumstances.


"Luck favors the prepared." You might also say that JFK became a lot more charismatic after he "won" than he was before.

[brentspeak]

3. I agree 100%

One guy alone is not going to do it. We as a party have about 15 million things to do, from building up better local grassroots support in every state to combatting Republican smears better.

But having done all the little things, that one superstar is kind of what's needed to push us over the top. Like you said: Bush was/is a complete loser, and plenty of his own voters were not enthusiastic about casting votes for him. That doesn't reflect well on John Kerry as a candidate.

Four years from now, we're not going to have Bush to kick around anymore. The Republican candidate is not going to be an idiot like Bush. What and who is going to be our strategy then?

[Malva Zebrina]

15. or nothing will change until the country hits bottom and then

we may see the emergence of another real liberal Democrat.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. Nazi love might just get Arnie elected. But the guy isn't very articulate

(although neither is Bush). Have we had a president in recent times who didn't even go to college, even if like Bush it was just to drink a lot?

[EndElectoral]

4. The South went Repub after the Equal Rights amendment..should we get rid

of that?

After Johnson...we have been burned by two things in the South..the Equal Rights amendment and Roe versus Wade....

The question is how much is this party willing to give up their principles to court the South.

If we want the South all we have to do is re-enact slavery, get rid of the female vote, and outlaw all abortion and institute prayer in school along with a flag burning amendment...I think then maybe we have a chance of winning the south.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. I thought the ERA never passed?

[davepc]

13. Jimmy Carter won every southern state in 1976

Its not South vs North its Urban vs Rural.

I'm getting real sick of people throwing around the words racist and homophobe because some of us want to have an open dialog about our positions on various issues.

I haven't seen ONE person on this entire forum say anything close to suggesting we turn into Dixiecrats, yet I've seen numerous people bander about the word racist and homophobe and bigot when we try and talk about political issues tied to race and sexuality.

[Tweed]

14. We have 40% of the House seats from the South

If we found the right leader, found the right message, we could be successful.

SOUTH
Number of Electoral Votes: 124
% of Electoral Votes 2004: 23%
Democrats: 0%
Republicans: 100%

Senators: 24(%)
Republicans: 20 (83%)
Democrats: 4 (17%)

House: 100 (23%)
Republicans: 60 (%)
Democrats 40(%)

Alabama
Senate: Republicans 2-0
Jeff Sessions (R) 2008
Richard Shelby (R) 2010
House: Republican 5-2
AL 1: Jo Bonner (R)
AL 2: Terry Everett (R)
AL 3: Michael D. Rogers (R)
AL 4: Robert R. Aderholt (R)
AL 5: Robert E. Cramer (D)
AL 6: Spencer Bachus (R)
AL 7: Artur Davis (D)

Arkansas
Senate: Democrats 2-0
Blanche Lincoln (D) 2010
Mark Pryor (D) 2008
House: Democrat 3-1
AR 1: Marion Berry (D)
AR 2: Vic Snyder (D)
AR 3: John Boozman (R)
AR 4: Mike Ross (D)

Florida
Senate: Tie 1-1
Bill Nelson (D) 2006
Mel Martinez (R) 2010
House: Republicans 18-7
FL 1: Jeff Miller (R)
FL 2: F. Allen Boyd (D)
FL 3: Corrine Brown (D)
FL 4: Ander Crenshaw (R)
FL 5: Ginny Brown-Waite (R)
FL 6: Cliff Strearns (R)
FL 7: John Mica (R)
FL 8: Ric Keller (R)
FL 9: Michael Bilirakis (R)
FL 10: C.W. Bill Young (R)
FL 11: Jim Davis (D)
FL 12: Adam Putnam (R)
FL 13: Kathernie Harris (R)
FL 14: Connie Mack (R)
FL 15: Dave Weldon (R)
FL 16: Mark Foley (R)
FL 17: Kendrick B. Meek (D)
FL 18: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R)
FL 19: Robert I. Wexler (D)
FL 20: Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D)
FL 21: Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R)
FL 22: E. Clay Shaw (R)
FL 23: Alcee L. Hastings (D)
FL 24: Tom Feeney (R)
FL 25: Mario Diaz-Balart (R)

Georgia
Senate: Republicans 2-0
Johnny Isakson (R) 2010
Saxby Chambliss (R) 2008
House: Republicans 7-6
GA 1: Jack Kingston (R)
GA 2: George Bishop (D)
GA 3: Jim Marshall (D)
GA 4: Cynthia McKinney (D)
GA 5: John Lewis (D)
GA 6: Tom Price (R)
GA 7: John Linder (R)
GA 8: Lynn A. Westmoreland (R)
GA 9: Charles Norwood (R)
GA 10: Nathan Deal (R)
GA 11: Phil Gingrey (R)
GA 12: John Barrow (D)
GA 13: David Scott (D)


Kentucky
Senate: Republicans 2-0
Jim Bunning (R) 2010
Mitch McConnell (R) 2008
House: Republicans 5-1
KY 1: Edward Whitfield (R)
KY 2: Ron Lewis (R)
KY 3: Anne M. Northup (R)
KY 4: Geoff Davis (R)
KY 5: Harold Rogers (R)
KY 6: Ben Chandler (D)

Louisiana
Senate: Tie 1-1
David Vitter (R) 2010
Mary Landrieu (D) 2008

House: Republican 4-1-2*
LA 1: Bobby Jindal (R)
LA 2: William J. Jefferson (D)
LA 3: Run-off*
LA 4: Jim McCrery (R)
LA 5: Rodney Alexander (R)
LA 6: Richard H. Baker (R)
LA 7: Run-off*

Mississippi
Senate: 2-0 Republicans
Trent Lott: (R) 2006
Thad Cochran (R) 2008
House: Tie 2-2
MS 1: Roger Wicker (R)
MS 2: Bennie G. Thompson (D)
MS 3: Charles Pickering (R)
MS 4: Gene Taylor (D)

North Carolina:
Senate: 2-0 Republicans
Elizabeth Dole (R) 2008
Richard Burr (R) 2010
House:Republicans 7-6
NC 1: G.K. Butterfield (D)
NC 2: Bob Etheridge (D)
NC 3: Walter Jones (R)
NC 4: David E. Price (D)
NC 5: Virginia Foxx (R)
NC 6: Howard Coble (R)
NC 7: Mike McIntyre (D)
NC 8: Robin Hayes (R)
NC 9: Sue Myrick (R)
NC 10: Patrick McHenry (R)
NC 11: Charles H. Taylor (R)
NC 12: Melvin L. Watt (D)
NC 13: Brad Miller (D)

South Carolina:
Senate: Republicans 2-0
Lindsey Graham (R) 2008
Jim DeMint (R) 2010
House: Republicans 4-2
SC 1: Henry E. Brown (R)
SC 2: Joe Wilson (R)
SC 3: J. Gresham Barrett (R)
SC 4: Bob Inglis (R)
SC 5: John M. Spratt (D)
SC 6: James Clyburn (D)

Tennessee:
Senate: Republicans 2-0
Lamar Alexander (R) 2008
Bill Frist (R) 2006
House: Democrats 5-4
TN 1: William L. Jenkins (R)
TN 2: John J. Duncan (R)
TN 3: Zach Wamp (R)
TN 4: Lincoln Davis (D)
TN 5: Jim Cooper (D)
TN 6: Bill Gordon (D)
TN 7: Marsha Blackburn (R)
TN 8: John S. Tanner (D)
TN 9: Harold E. Ford (D)

Virginia:
Seante: Republicans 2-0
George Allen (R) 2006
John Warner (R) 2008
House:Republicans 8-3
VA 1: Jo Ann S. Davis (R)
VA 2: Thelma D. Drake (R)
VA 3: Bobby Scott (D)
VA 4: Randy Forbes (R)
VA 5: Virgil H. Goode (R)
VA 6: Bob Goodlatte (R)
VA 7: Eric I. Cantor (R)
VA 8: James P. Moran (D)
VA 9: Rick Boucher (D)
VA 10: Frank R. Wolf (R)
VA 11: Thomas M. Davis (R)

West Virginia:
Senate: Democrats 2-0
Robert Byrd (D) 2006
John Rockefeller (D) 2008
House: Democrats 2-1
WV 1: Alan B. Mollohan (D)
WV 2: Shelley Moore Capito (R)
WV 3: Nick J. Rahall (D)

[THUNDER HANDS]

6. neither of them would win today

JFK - liberal
FDR, crippled liberal

[0rganism]

7. Let's start with clean elections and a re-regulated newsmedia

Jesus Christ Himself couldn't be elected as a Democrat under these current conditions.

[UpsideDownFlag]

8. if arnie ran, he'd lose...and here's why: 1st: he's one of them 'Furners'

second, he's too liberal for the fundies.

[briankup]

9. we have one...

..OBAMA

[UpsideDownFlag]

10. ...we have one what?

[pdx_prog]

11. RFK Jr?

[Tweed]

12. We need a WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN

We need a man who can connect with rural and small town America. Otherwise, we will become the GOP in the 30's :scared:

[Bush was AWOL]

16. FDR and JFK were proud to be liberals

I watched a show on CSPAN where FDR addressed the Nation from the oval office and he mentioned his ideals and the Democratic party as being liberal atleast 3 times very proudly. JFK did the same. Too many in the party are not embracing the word liberal and thus it has taken a hit in recent years.

But you are right, we need a JFK or FDR.

[opstachuck]

17. how about a zell miller/obama/unfortunate accident ticket? n/t

[idiosyncratic]

18. But if the voting machines are rigged, it still won't matter . . .

:cry:

[AngryLizard]

22. Then we need a legitimate organized effort

to figure out if that is the case. We have the FOI act, we have all sorts of ways to find out what's going on with those machines. We need to compile descrepancies in each state, and bring them to whoever is charge of handling these things. We have 4 years to get rid of those machines.

Or we could just sit in cry about it.

[Rambis]

19. FDR was the devil!

any good conservative rethug will tell you that. "worst president ever" I have heard it for years from older thugs. God damn handouts, Social security what is that bullshit. WPA, all those handout programs, socialism plain and simple.

[Bush was AWOL]

20. That's unfortunate for them

because most Americans see FDR as being one of the greatest presidents ever. Any list I've seen of Historians rating presidents FDR is usually between 3 and 5. He was a proud liberal that was loved by the majority of the American people, and for that they can't stand him.

[AngryLizard]

21. No, we need a Newt Gingrich

We need a Democratic Revolution. We need a plan to take back Congress. We need vicious people to go after the Republican leadership, using their own misdeeds against them. JFK and FDR were from a different time, one where there wasn't nearly the amount of media scrutiny today, where they could very easily control the message that got out to the people (Mistresses? Wheelchairs? NO!). What JFK and FDR did know was how to play dirty, so I'll give you that - we need one of those. As liberals, we too often depend on the kindness and rationality of others, but I think we should about be over that. We're all about being nice white hats, and I say FUCK THAT NOISE. I am ABSOLUTELY appalled that there isn't a organized, legitimate effort to count the votes in OH and FL, and find out if there is something wrong with those machines (and if there is one, by all means point me in the right direction). The media is primed and ready for it, and we've got NOTHING. Our leadership is already talking about conciliation, and we're about the select a minority leader who's half in the other guy's bag. WE need to make some noise. We need to shake some rafters. We need to say, you think we're different from you - you're right, we are. If all we can is cry in our beer about positions that we cannot win on ("moral values" - whatever the fuck that means, and having the balls to blow up more brown people) then we deserve to lose. Is there no one in the party with the cojones to take these assholes on? I am so tired of this. I am tired of being the party of least resistance. Is there no one out there who realizes, that at this point, WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. Someone. PLEASE. STEP UP.

[leftofthedial]

23. shit! even a Moe would be an improvement!

we got zip or worse